All language subtitles for Life.Below.Zero.S15E09.Second.Nature.720p.WEB-HD.x264-Pahe.ph

[dramatic music]

It feels a lot different
opening up the rack this year.

We keep the dog food in
here for our whole team

that we depend on.

Where there should be salmon
hanging and plentiful food,

there's empty space.

The river has been shut down.

The state has completely
posted no fishing whatsoever

on the Yukon River, period.

We basically have these
set, one pole per day.

So we'll be able to get
by a couple extra weeks

but I just really feel like
we're doing the countdown now.

It's time to really figure
out what we're gonna do

in lieu of not having
the chum salmon.

[dystopian music]

We got everything?

Nets and gear and gun and,

maybe we'll get a
fish [chuckling].

We'll try.

Tough year on the
Yukon River this year,

both the chum salmon run
and the king salmon run

are crashing, so they've closed
down the entire Yukon River

to any subsistence activity
that could potentially

catch a salmon.

Yeah, let's go see
what we can catch.

The things that we normally
fish with during the year,

number one is a fish wheel.

I'm not allowed to put that in.

Number two is a large
five-inch mesh net

to catch chum salmon.

I can't do that.

I can put a hook
in the Yukon River,

now I'm allowed to
fish inside streams

and back sloughs of the Yukon
as long as it's with gear

that isn't gonna
catch any king salmon.

But it's not gonna equate
to the hundreds of pounds

of meat that I normally
would get with salmon.

That's probably the most
valuable resource to me

and when I don't get that, it
really throws a monkey wrench

in my whole way of life
out here with my dogs.

Right in here off
this little peninsula

might be good, Denise.

Our game plan right now
is to spend a few days

and put out every means of
fishing that we have available

to us and try and make
up just a fraction

of the amount of food that
we normally would've gotten.

But a little bit of
something is better

than nothing of anything,

so that's what we're
up against right now.

We're gonna stick in a fyke net.

That's a really
great way of fishing,

because you can
capture fish alive

and you can pick
the ones you want

and throw the little guys back

or species that you
don't wanna eat.

That'll work good.

I'll start pushing
the boat over.

I've done a lot of experimenting
over the years with this,

knowing that this
was gonna happen.

And trying to understand
what effort I could put in

and what I could
expect out of it.

It's just gonna take
a lot more work.

We'll do our best and
see what comes with it.

Well, we're fishing 80, 90%
of the creek, so that's good.

If they get by us,
they deserve to live

[Denise] Yeah.

[dystopian music]

Just keep focused, you
keep putting your head down

and you keep working hard.

Put more heart, more drive,
more thought into this.

This is it, this
is the beginning

of the best season of my life.

[dystopian music]

[metal clinking]

This part right here
is a stabiliser bar

for my rear suspension.

Snapped it right off.

Been working this machine hard
training the dogs all summer,

using it to haul water.

It does a lot of work
around here for me.

So I got the part and
I'm gonna figure out

how to fix it myself.

Fall comes quick and
the Alaska range.

It's really starting to set in.

It's really starting
to cool down,

my training is ramping up.

I'm getting ready for a
trip up into the mountains

with the dogs to set up
a remote training camp,

explore some new territories,
spend some quality time.

I didn't move out here just
to train on the highway.

I'm looking for something to
challenge the dogs mentally

and physically more.

More high mountain training,

some getting off
the trail training,

some creek crossings,

some new stuff to challenge
the minds of the dogs.

Here, we know every bend
of the trail right now.

I wanna get off the highway,
get up into the high country.

We wanna to get out there
to where we don't know

what we're gonna see.

All right, I got my
stabiliser bar replaced.

I'm gonna start packing and
get ready to hit the road.

I've got my side-by-side all
fixed up in running order,

so that's a relief.

Be loading that up on a
trailer behind my dog truck,

and once we get to a good
point to start hooking

up the dogs and leave
the truck behind,

be packing everything
that we need

into the side-by-side and
taking off from there.

[dogs barking]

I've got some newer
members in my team

that I've got a lot of faith in

that can make it
better this year.

I'm gonna be taking
out half and half,

half veterans, half
question marks.

I'm gonna see how all
these question marks

do on a big trip, get them
out in some wilder country

where I'm emulating
life on the trail.

Come on now, load up!

Load up, Kors.

Come on, there you go.

Stay in the back.

[dog barks]

Now everybody's loaded up

and there's nothing but
adventure ahead of us.

[Ricko] Harsh
environment out here,

so your word is everything.

If you don't stand by your word,

things will turn out
to bite you in the end.

[dystopian music]

This is a big surprise
for you, kids.

[Skyler] Where we going?

[Ricko] I'll show you.

Okay.

It's a good spot, see how
the smoke is blowing through?

It helps to clear the bugs out.

You know what we
should do right here?

[Children] What?

Build a tree house.

Yeah!

This is gonna be
where I'm staying.

It's gonna be big!

Yeah, it's gonna be big.

It's gonna be all
around these trees.

The kids could learn a
lot building a tree house.

We build smoke houses
and we build caches

with the same basic pattern.

Further down the road,

this is the skills they're
gonna need to know.

You see all the jack
spruce back here?

[Skyler] Uh-huh.

Those we could use for
building the structure.

So we've got a
lot of work to do,

but the first thing
we're gonna do

is clear this whole area out.

[Skarlett] Okay.

Maybe just burn it down here,
right against the water.

[intense music]

Wanna clear the area
of brush and trees

around this tree house because

this is the place
they're gonna be playing

and I don't want no bears
sneaking up on them,

and I also want some
wind blowing through

so we can keep the gnats
and mosquitoes down.

Holy, a lot of stuff
you're raking up.

Okay, we did a good job here,
cleared out this whole area.

I'll get the chainsaw going.

We've got a lot of
poles that we need.

[chainsaw rumbling]

There's a lot of
things you can build

from just sourcing out
material that's natural

to your environment around here.

I'll limb it and you
guys carry them back.

That's important for the
kids to not only learn

to use tools, but learn
how to use the material

that's growing naturally.

We got about 10 to 15 of
these we're gonna get.

Timber!

[intense music]

My whole life, we
had tree houses.

It's kind of a tradition out
here to have a tree house

to play in when
you're a kid, so,

I'm looking forward to putting
the new one up around here.

Kids are a huge help today,
more than I realised.

Skyler is working like a beast.

I didn't think it
would be this much work

to build something
so fun, but I mean,

we're gonna have a
lot of fun at the end,

so it's kinda
worth working hard.

Okay, let me get one more pole.

You guys are giving a 100%
and that's what counts.

Okay, bend your knees.

There you go, good job.

Okay, we got our material.

Now we can start building.

[dystopian music]

Alaska's a wild place and
I'm a long way from help.

Are there challenges? Daily.

That's what I thrive on.

[dystopian music]

Alrighty, well, it looks like

the earlier floods took a
bunch more of the roadway out.

I'm gonna say I probably
lost 30 feet of bank

just this last year.

The old trail system,
there's a stretch of the road

where it's washed out.

It's well used by not only me,

but clients that come through.

If people go bombing
down the road,

not paying attention, you
can reach a dangerous part

of that road and slip.

First things first is to
get out some flagging tape

and mark this roadway
far enough back

so that people know don't
go any further this way,

it's just simply not safe.

To maintain safety for the
people that come through

and even myself, I need
to mark where is it safe

to get off the road and
onto the approved access,

and then where is it
good to get back on.

Seems like a silly chore,

but nothing that keeps
people safe is silly.

They're not gonna drive off
the cliff with this here.

Oh, there's animals over there.

Let's see what they are.

I've got two really nice
looking bulls over there.

This is a chance to
fill the freezer.

[mimics caribou call]

Any of us remote people,

if you're living off the
land, you're an opportunist

and jump on the
opportunity as it arises.

[intense music]

[mimics animal call]

And I've tried to make any
noise, they're curious.

-[intense music]
-[mimics animal call]

All right.

[gunshot fires]

I can see the area
he went down in.

I don't see him getting back up.

For me to get to where he's at,

I've gotta get
down from the bank,

cross the river there
and then head over

to where he's laying there.

That's a hell of
a place to cross,

but I've gotta get it done.

I'm still in shock, I
was not expecting that.

But to survive,
you make the best

out of whatever
opportunity arises.

We can't go to the store,

we can't hire a
construction team.

But hammers nails, axes,
chainsaw is all you need.

[dystopian music]

[chainsaw rumbling]

Whoa, what the heck?

[children laughing]

Snowing on you, huh?

[Narrator] Ricko and his
children, Skyler and Skarlett,

are building a tree house
near the family cabin.

The tree house will
give the kids a space

to play at the grounds
and we'll also allow Ricko

to teach them vital
knowledge and skills

that they will carry
into adulthood.

[dramatic music]

[Ricko] Okay, grab that side.

Let's get four corners up.

Okay, about right
there is high enough.

Could you hold it
right there, Skar?

[Skarlett] Yeah.

[hammer clinking]

Okay, see this
little bubble here?

You gotta put it so
it sits in the middle.

[Skyler] That's perfect!

We nailed it.

Okay, next across there.

[intense music]

Tree house building
might seem simple,

but the kids learn a lot.

Kids learn to use the
level, the hammer,

they see me cutting
with the chainsaw.

And they're gonna use these
skills they're learning

on this tree house
later on in life.

[hammer clinking]

Hey, this thing looks good.

I gotta cut some
more bigger poles

and just put them
all the way across.

And then we can
lay the floor on.

The kids, they basically
are like sponges.

They wanna get hands-on
on these tools.

and that's what's important,

is having them engaged
and helping me.

My job as a father is
just kinda lead them

and let them kinda take control
so they have big ownership.

I'm having a lot of fun working.

I just like building and this
is like a good start for me.

So the floor is done,
let's get a ladder made.

[dramatic music]

[chainsaw rumbling]

[Ricko] I grew up tough,
but we also played a lot,

and that's really
important to growing up

is learning how to use your
imagination and have fun.

Let's put this here.

So it's really important
I teach the kids

to work with a fun project,

because that really
opens their mind

and makes them think
outside the box

and really become creative.

[Skyler] I wanna try.

[Ricko] Test it out.

How's that feel?

[Skyler] It feels good.

[Ricko] See if it's
good enough for me?

Oh yeah, solid.

Got the ladder, got the floor.

Now we just need the roof.

Put things away, start
up again tomorrow.

[dystopian music]

[Andy] Living out here is
nothing but adaptation.

Conditions change.

If you don't jump on it,

you might as well
kiss it goodbye.

[dramatic music]

You don't have to do
much tying it off.

Just try and get the boat
tied to something, okay?

[Denise] Okay.

[boat thuds]

Right, so I think what
I wanna do is we'll

try and drop the
net in right here.

It's a pretty long net,

it might almost make it
to the other side there.

And there's not much
current in here,

so I'm hoping what we
can do is just stretch it

all the way across
and go from there.

[Denise] Okay.

[Andy] I've got no idea
what I'm doing here.

[laughing] I don't believe that.

Today, we're gonna attempt
to see what we can get

for alternative sources
of protein here.

Any kind of fish, any size
of fish out of the creeks

and streams around here
since the Yukon River

is a no-go for us.

There's a lot of possibilities,
but they're slim.

It's very slim pickings.

When you take the Yukon River

out of the picture for
us, we're scrambling.

We can, we're gonna sit a
couple of different nets.

Different types of nets.

That's pretty deep out
there, eight to 10 feet deep.

And so we'll just
see if we can't

see if there are
any fish in here.

[Denise] What kind
of fish do you think

will be coming up here?

Maybe some grayling, maybe
a pike every now and then.

You know, she-fish might
come up here, I don't know.

We'll see, that's
the whole thing.

I have no idea.

I don't fish these
side rivers very often,

but we're being forced
to this year, so.

Pretty much everything out
here relies on harvesting,

and if you're not
allowed to harvest

then it means you have to adapt

and that's what we're
gonna have to do right now.

Just hold onto the float ends
and try and get those out.

Potentially we might catch pike,

that's probably
the most abundant.

We might catch burbot, which
is a bottom feeding fish.

But it'd probably take
about 15 or 20 pike

the equal one chum salmon,
so it's gonna be challenging,

it's gonna be frustrating.

It'll be fun because anytime
we catch anything around here

is a plus, but knowing
what we could've done

and knowing what we're
probably gonna end up with

is pretty devastating right now.

Okay, let's go back and we'll
just slug it up on that snag,

and then let's go down
and check the fyke net.

See if we got any
fish in there to eat.

That would be good.

[suspenseful music]

[boat engine roaring]

So maybe some pike in
those slough, you think?

I don't know if it's
even deep enough,

but let's see.

Okay.

[suspenseful music]

Should be able to see if
there's fish in there, really.

Yeah, it's really clear.

Whoa, there's a big
pike right here.

-Oh, look at that.
-Giant pike right there.

[Denise] Oh, no.

[Andy] What the hell
are they doing in there?

-Two beavers?
-Oh, no.

Holy shit.

Well, that's why that
pike wasn't in there.

[sighs] That sucks.

Kind of a disappointment
for Denise and I, actually.

We were excited to
come up to a net

and hopefully have
a bunch of pike,

but it was full of beavers
before it could fill up

with pike, so it's one
thing if you're purposely

going after a Beaver to
hunt it or to trap it.

You're in a different mindset.

I'm not opposed to trapping
them in the winter time

but summer time's not the time

that I would wanna
normally harvest a beaver.

I'm just thinking of all
the ways we can maximise

the use of these guys, Andy.

Well, they'll be our
food, they'll be dog food.

We'll skin the pelt out.

The hair would be okay.

If we didn't wanted hair, you
can just turn it into leather.

Beaver leather is
really nice, you know?

You know, it's just
really hard for us

to see something
like that happen.

We both dealt with it fine,

and we're both gonna be happy

to have a good
meal out of beaver.

We're gonna be really happy
if we get some hides tanned up

and make something
really nice out of them.

You know, whatever
we do with them,

it'll turn that negative of
catching them incidentally

into something that's
a real positive,

and that's the way we
like to live our life.

I think we're good,
let's get going.

[dystopian music]

Their enthusiasm is part of
the magic of these animals.

You keep that enthusiasm up,
it can take you anywhere.

[intense music]

Okay, I just left my
place and I'm heading east

on the Denali highway.

I'll be taken to mining roads up

into the Clearwater mountains,

and I got 16 dogs
with me and my truck.

Getting to get out
with a full sized team

and go exploring some
new territory way
up in the mountains

is just about the
most exciting prospect

of the summer so far.

[Narrator] On the
Denali highway,

Jessie Holmes is travelling
deep into the nearby mountains

to scout new training
grounds for his sled dogs.

This journey will present
a crucial opportunity

for Jesse and the dogs to learn
of the potential blessings

and the potential dangers
that come with the unknown.

[intense music]

It's absolutely incredible.

This is a nice looking spot to
be able to get off the road,

nice creek for the dogs to
be able to get a drink in.

Good clear shot for me to be
able to get back on the trail.

I'll be heading up
into these mountains.

It's gorgeous out here.

Can't wait to see what's
out in that valley

and around that bend.

[dogs barking]

One of the beautiful
things about this trip

is I chose to bring
eight of my veterans

and eight rookie dogs that
really aren't as familiar

with racing with me.

But bringing them out
here, I can train the dogs,

I can slow the process down

and start breaking
down the details.

[dogs barking]

All right, we're ready to roll!

Gotta get outta here
before something breaks.

Gonna give the dogs a
really good long run

before we find somewhere
to set up camp.

Yee-ha!

Ho!

Ho!

Ho, Alpy, ho!

Ho, there you go, straight,
straight, there you go.

Straight ahead.

Good!

There's a huge mountain
range to the east of here

capped in snow still.

For me, it makes sense to
take the dogs up there,

get out into some new country.

Go have some fun exploring,
do our homework now

so we can be going up in
that direction this winter.

The psychology of the dogs
is that they love to explore,

they love to hunt, they
love to feel the thrill

of being in a pack, going
through unexplored territory.

So do I.

[intense music]

I see a lot of options
that I can explore

more in the morning, but right
now I'm just trying to stay

on the safest path and take
some steam out of these dogs.

They're really strong,

they're really excited
to be in a big team.

This is what it's all about,

getting out here in new
country, cold mountain air.

It's exhilarating, it's a
little bit nerve wracking

even with this many dogs.

Ho!

[intense music]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait.

Trail's taken us up pretty
far into the mountains

and all of a sudden the dogs
just overshot straight out

into the brush and they
went clear off a cliff

it looks like to me.

Whoa, hey, hey, hey!

It looks a little sketchy

but I'm kinda committed.

I'm gonna ease down
this nice and slow.

Easy, hey, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Easy, easy, easy, easy.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

Ho, ho, ho!

Good!

I made it out of that.

It was a hell of a
predicament to be in

but my bond with the
dogs and them trusting me

in what could've
been a bad situation

was resolved in teamwork.

I didn't come out here
just to run the dogs.

I also wanna train
the young dogs.

Good, straight, straight,
straight, ho, ho!

And them seeing me give
commands to the veteran dogs

and how quickly
they respond to me

and how confidently
they respond to me,

they start connecting the dots

and they start
learning the commands.

The dogs learned so much here.

Straight ahead
guys, right there.

Whoa, good.

Easy, guys.

All right, this is gonna be
the spot to camp for the night.

I was able to put a good
long run on the dogs,

get them through some
challenging terrain.

This is an excellent
spot, it's beautiful.

[dogs yipping]

Good dogs!

I'm going to get
these guys' straw out.

It's a signal we're stopping,

it's time to calm down,
time to go to sleep,

get some rest for tomorrow.

You guys really
aren't that tired,

but we've gotta save
some energy for tomorrow.

Wanna fill up their fuel tanks,

get some food in their bellies.

Get them all comfortable
and situated,

then I'm going to
set up my tent,

have a nice fire,
cook up some food,

have some tea, enjoy the night.

[dystopian music]

[pan sizzling]

Yeah, it's not the
greatest night in the world

as far as weather goes,

but it ain't gonna ruin my
parade and my party here.

I got my dogs, I got my fire.

Just make the best of what
we got here, you know?

This is a beautiful
place to camp.

Tomorrow's another day.

Looking forward to
getting further up

into the mountain, exploring
some of these valleys.

It's time to crash out for
the night, get some sleep.

I'm gonna get up
early in the morning

and start doing some
travelling off the beaten path.

[dystopian music]

If you're gonna hunt
for your own meat,

you're gonna get
your hands dirty.

Red is the colour of success.

[intense music]

All right, it's time to get
my little furry buddy home.

[Narrator] After spotting
two bull caribou,

Sue was able to harvest
one of the animals.

This unexpected opportunity
has brought her one step closer

to having a full
stockpile of caribou meat

for the coming winter.

[intense music]

Buddy, thank you so much.

I'm gonna get you loaded up,

but don't you think
for one minute

I forgot about your
heart rock, I did not.

Thank you, buddy.

I'll try bet you, this
guy weighs about two,

220, 210 maybe.

Where's my grandson
when I need him?

[truck clunking]

[grunts] Okay.

Now his booty's in here.

Oh wow, take a look at that.

I think it's this guy's buddy
that I saw him with earlier.

It would really round me
out to get another one.

He's hanging out
across the river

back where I was working.

There's a chance I can get a
twofer and round out my tags.

That's important for me.

I don't get this kind
of a setup too often.

This is just the
day of the caribou.

If I can get a twofer...

Hell yeah.

[intense music]

He's a little far off.

See if I can call them down.

[mimics caribou call]

[whispering] Come on,
just come a little closer.

[mimics caribou call]

Come on, come on,
come on down the road.

[mimics caribou call]

I mean, he's like
fucking 500 yards away.

And there's so much
brush in the way.

Can't see him anymore.

We lost him.

[dystopian music]

Only thing I can do
is go across the river

and see where he's at.

[engine rumbling]

If I can get over here
and get another shot

that's gonna round out
this evening, a twofer,

I'll have my work
cut out for me,

but I've gotta fill my freezer.

[whispering] There he is,
there he is, there he is.

I'm gonna start just
kinda hunching down

and making my way
a little closer.

-[suspenseful music]
-[heavy breathing]

[mimics caribou call]

[suspenseful music]

[mimics caribou call]

[gunshot fires]

I don't want him to run.

Go down.

Go down.

Go down.

[heavy breathing]

He's down.

[emotional music]

Oh my gosh,

baby.

Yup, he's dead.

You will not be forgotten.

Thank you.

These are my caribou
for the season.

This rounds it all out.

I got food to put
away for the winter.

What I need to do now
is just get this closer

to home and get
the meat hanging.

[dystopian music]

Having kids is beautiful.

I get to relive my past and
try to make their future

more beautiful
than I ever had it.

[intense music]

The roof will be lower on this
side, higher on that side.

That way rain and
snow can slide off.

So, the floor is done.

We will keep moving and
hopefully get this roof on.

Lift up on that end.

And I'm gonna tack it on
while you're holding it, okay?

[hammer clinking]

The kids have been really
enjoying the tree house build.

It's a lot of work
building a tree house,

but it's also been a lot of fun.

I think they're gonna
learn a lot by doing this.

I hope this is right.

I'm blaming it on
you if it isn't.

[Skyler] What?

[Ricko] You get an award.

I wouldn't be able to do
this without you, Sky.

[Skyler] Thanks.

Awesome.

Okay, we're ready for
the first sheet iron.

It's not heavy, it's
just cumbersome.

[intense music]

I work hard all the time
and I try to stay busy,

but even if you're working,

you can have a lot
of fun doing it.

Okay, I think that's it.

Time to be acrobatic.

[grunts]

There we go, thank you.

[Skyler] This is so cool.

Like, none of the tree houses
I've been on had a roof.

[Ricko] Look at your view!

[Skyler] I know!

Jeez, this is the million
dollar view right here.

We've got this tree house built,

but let's do a few more things.

like little balancing polls.

Do a swing from right here.

[Skyler] Yeah!

How about this one?

Go through up there.

Somehow, some way, I
managed to raise these kids

so they have enthusiasm to work

and that's what makes
me feel real good.

Good old sailor's knot.

Here you go.

My kids are small,
but they gave it 110%.

They didn't stop once, they
pushed all the way through,

and couldn't have done
it without the kids.

Okay, you guys ready?

[Children] Yeah!

[grunts]

[Skyler] That was awesome!

[Skarlett] I wanna try!

I had a lot of fun
building this tree house.

I think the fun for me is
just seeing my kids have fun.

I kinda owe them that, you
know, I'm their father.

If I'm able to help them
have something in life

that brings enjoyment
like that tree house,

that makes me feel a
lot better about myself.

Whoa, awesome!

Man, I feel like I'm
10 years old again.

[children laughing]

[dystopian music]

The interior of Alaska,
you can live here,

but you gotta work to live here.

It's not abundant.

[dystopian music]

30 pounds.

So between the two of these,

it's probably gonna be
40 pounds of meat, so.

40 pounds is a lot, 40
pounds will go a long ways.

For us.

That's one meal for the
dog team, maybe two max.

'Cause there's nothing
like meat to feed the dogs.

You know, we're buying the best
quality commercial dog food

that's on the market right now.

And not only is it gonna
cost us more than double,

maybe triple,

the dogs aren't gonna
do well on that.

We're gonna have to
find some other source

of fat just with
losing one resource.

But anyway, let's just get
all this stuff taken care of

-Okay.
-as best we can this morning

and then we'll go out
and check those nets

and see if our efforts
yesterday were worth it or not.

Neither Denise or I are
people that live in the past,

but nature does have a way
of kicking you in the teeth.

And when that happens, you know,

there are two ways you
can deal with that.

You can feel sorry for yourself

and lick your wounds
and not do a damn thing,

or you could dust yourself
off and go do something

that's productive with
your life and your time.

You know, pretty much every
part of a beaver is usable.

In this case, we're gonna be
feeding the bones to the dogs.

Salvaging as much meat for
ourselves and salvaging the hide

for ourselves to tan
up and use it later.

That looks pretty
darn good to me.

Oh, look at it all.

That really shows it off.

What a beautiful hide they have.

Why don't we take it over and
put it in the old workshop?

-Okay.
-So nothing can get

in there to it.

You wanna go over and
hang it up in there?

Get this hung up and
then we better get

and check the nets.

[suspenseful music]

Okay, here we go,
fingers crossed.

Let's see what we got.

[intense music]

[Andy] Looks like it's a
little bit murkier today.

[Denise] It is definitely.

[Andy] Moment of truth.

Do we have any fish or not?

[Denise] Wow!

This is really good, Andy!

[Andy] Looks like
there's another one.

Oh, that's a pike.

[Denise] Oh, that's a nice size.

Look at that!

Oh, there's more!

Nice!

Surprised me.

[Denise] Yeah, it did.

This is a great surprise.

Our cooler's getting full.

This is great, this is
a cool thing to know

that we can come here and
catch these fish if we need to.

But as far as like replacing
dog food or fall chum,

it's not even close.

It's not even a
drop in the bucket.

Neither one of us
mind working hard,

we both actually
like working hard,

but we wanna good pay
off from the labour

and time we put into something.

Unless we're really lucky,
it's probably really

not gonna be very
good bush economics.

And for me, it's all
about bush economics.

[Denise] Think we've
got room for this?

[chuckling]

There we go, there it is.

Forget about fishing for
dogs out of the Yukon River.

Let's start making
another game plan up,

and then right now, when
we go get that beaver

on the barbecue and enjoy
a good meal of that.

It's a positive from a negative.

I think this year, given
my experience over 30 years

on the river, it's gonna be
a very different year for us

and there may be no substitute
for the fall chum salmon.

-Oh, thank you.
-It's hot,

give me a few minutes.

The salmon that we
have now will get us

just to the beginning of winter.

So, that's obviously
a huge problem.

Boy, these treats smell
really good, Topaz.

I don't know, I think I
want one of these treats.

They don't understand what's
going on with the chum salmon.

They just depend on us for
bringing them their fish

at the end of a hard
working day like we depend

on them to bring us our
firewood in the winter.

We gotta come up with something

and we'll keep
trying until we do.

Yeah, we'll get you lots
to eat all winter long.

Yes, we will, one
way or another.

Yes we will.

[dystopian music]

I've gotta keep all
of my body healthy,

not just well fed.

It's gotta be well nourished.

[dystopian music]

So if you see I'm peeling
back some of this velvet,

I really don't want to
get all the blood on me,

I want a lot of it to stay in.

I like being well-rounded

and I like using every
part of the animal.

I don't often have a
chance to get bulls

in this stage of growth
with their antlers.

If you can get the
velvet in this stage,

you can have a tincture
or you can make a salve

that will help with joint
damage, cartilage damage.

It helps with the
regeneration and the pain.

Having so much work done
on the spine and the joints

and the legs and the ankles
over the last several years,

pain is a real thing for me.

Pain happens, age happens.

We do what we can.

Alrighty.

So now, I have got a
bucket full of velvet.

The tincture that I'm making,

you can do it several
different ways.

So you've got one
for your joints,

one for a blood purifier,

and then you have an oil
which you can rub on.

One good medicine
saves me $5,000 each
way to town and back,

a doctor's appointment,
how many blood tests

to get at what I already
told him that I'm in pain

and I need something,

and then how much
per month for a pill.

So I've got one, two, three,
four different products.

So, well done on this.

But now comes the part
that I've been waiting for.

I do have a little bit
of the caribou meat.

I sliced off, I flattened, put
a little bit of spice on it

and make myself
something kinda yummy.

[dramatic music]

All in all, it's a
pretty amazing day.

Everything always works out
the way it's supposed to.

Seldom how you think it will.

I didn't anticipate all of this

when I set out to mark
a detour on a road.

Let's see what we have here.

Occasionally, detours are
the sweetest part of life.

You see and do things,

flying 90 miles an hour down
the highway of life you miss.

So yeah, I'll take the detour.

It's definitely good eating.

[dystopian music]

If you wanna be a champion,
you gotta be willing

to go above and beyond what
everybody else is gonna do.

I'm gonna do everything I can

to be one step ahead
of my competition.

[dystopian music]

[tent unzips]

Hey, guys.

Yeah, you guys look cosy.

But today's about setting
out and doing things

other people aren't
willing to do

because that's what makes
champions, you know?

Whenever we forge
a bond together,

overcoming all the
obstacles that are out here.

All right, fellas, gals, ready?

All right.

You ready? Good!

That's what I'm talking about,
that's a well-trained team.

[dogs barking]

All right, guys,
let's go explore!

[adventurous music]

Nice early morning leaving
camp with the dogs,

the dogs are
rocking and rolling.

I always love this
moment after they camp,

how they get in a groove
and they start settling

into a nice pace and
learning the country now,

and that's exciting.

Gee!

Looks like we go right there.

Now we're climbing up

into some really beautiful
mountains right now.

Everything I'm doing
right now has a purpose.

At some point, I'm
gonna have to break away

from the competition.

Being able to come
out here and train

in uncertain circumstances
prepares the dogs

to do that for me.

When I ask them, I know
they're gonna respond.

That gives me confidence,

it gives them confidence in me.

It gives me confidence

that there's nothing
we can't conquer.

And to do something that's
extremely challenging.

For some of these young dogs,

they've never done
anything like this.

So it's really
incredible to see them

stepping up to the game.

[engine rumbling]

All right, good dogs, good dogs!

The dogs have had a great
training run out here.

I wanna cap it off
with a nice run

up the mountain with them.

So I'm gonna lead the
pack up this mountain.

It'll be a nice cool
down for their muscles,

but it would be a
good workout for me.

[dramatic music]

Dogs ain't the only one
that need some exercise.

Don't wanna leave out
of here without coming,

enjoying in this
grand view here.

You know, really got
to learn the country,

you got to spend some
time going up that valley,

up this valley, and there's
about 20 more valleys

for me to explore out here.

Come wintertime, it's
gonna be unlimited

what I can do with the
knowledge that I now have here.

[dramatic music]

This has been an
incredible training trip.

It's opened up so many new doors

for our training in the future.

And the bond that I
have with these dogs,

sitting up here above the clouds

like I've reached
the highest point

I could ever reach in my life,

I just don't even know how I
could get better than this.

[music cuts]

[wind blowing]